Help: Movie? (mystery man, small town, girl, spanish(?) war veteran)

Hi.

I'm trying to find the name of a movie I saw 10+ years ago on TV. I remember some key things about the plot and characters but have been unsuccessful in finding it so I thought I might try here.

Story revolves around mainly 3 characters. A woman and her daughter(around 8-10 years old maybe) and a "mysterious" man(In his 20-30s I'd say). The mystery man comes to town(small town) and gets to live in their barn(?) and helps out with things.

I'm not 100% sure but I believe some romance starts happening between the mother and the mystery man. Daughter doesn't like it at first because the husband of the mother (and father of the girl) is away fighting in a war(ww2 I believe). The daughter misses the father in the beginning of the movie but later on in the movie when she gets to know the mystery man she instead "hopes" that her real father wont come home from the war so that the mystery man can stay. In other words she is really starting to like him.

The movie takes place in a small town and some of the inhabitants there dislike the mystery man because he is home in America while other young men are out fighting in the war. (Not sure but I also think he calls himself a pacifist) They think he is a coward. It is revealed in the end however that the mystery man is in fact a war veteran(Spanish civil war I believe but not sure) and people realize that he isn't a coward.

The movie ends with the mother/daughter getting a message(not 100% sure on the message part) that the father is coming home since the war is over(?) and as such the mystery man leaves. As the mystery man has left he stumbles upon a returning soldier on a dirt road which happen to be the father. I think one offers the other a cigarette. The father however knows nothing of the mystery man so he continues home to his family and the movie ends. I believe the daughter in the end is happy that her father has returned even though she earlier "hoped" he wouldn't.


Hope this helps and thanks in advance. Would be great to find out the name of the movie, it has been driving me nuts for years.

Cheers.

might be Carol's Journey

Unfortunately not. I am 99% sure the movie I'm looking for takes place in the US.

You say you saw this film 10+ years ago on TV? Do you have any feeling for what decade it might have been made in?

An old classic perhaps,.....or was it more of a 'TV movie' type thing? Just looking for clues that might help in the search. Cheers.

- UPDATE -
I've managed to track this one down. The title of the film you're looking for is 'Run the Wild Fields' (2000), and it stars Joanne Whalley and Sean Patrick Flanery.

This is amazing. Don't know how you did it but thank you so very much. Been looking for it ever since I saw it.

Believe me, I know only too well how frustrating it is when you can't track down a movie or TV episode you want to enjoy for a second time. I don't mind hunting around though, and sometimes you get a break, which is gratifying.

I'm glad I was able to unearth this one.

I just finished watching this movie, very nice with a good ending too. If you have an hour and a half I definitely recommend watching it.Hunt

Battleground would top my list as well. It told the story well without all the bells and whistles of the later war films.